Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Well it's now official, Jennifer Lopez is returning to American Idol after 1 season off. Keith Urban returns to the panel as the lone remaining judge from last season. And Harry Connick Jr was officially confirmed as the final judge of the panel for the 2014 season. Kevin Reilly, the network's chairman of entertainment, issued the following statement:“ 'American Idol' has always been about discovering the next
singing superstar, and next season our judging panel will deliver a most
impressive combination of talent, wisdom and personality to do just
that: Jennifer Lopez, the triple-threat global superstar who loves and
whom 'Idol' fans love; Harry Connick Jr., a bona-fide musical genius and
fantastic 'Idol' mentor whose honesty and expertise can help turn these
hopefuls into stars; Keith Urban, a multi-Grammy-winning artist who was
such a positive force on the show last season. We are also very excited
to have our friend Randy Jackson now in a new role as mentor, and the
captain of our team – the heart and soul of 'Idol' –Ryan Seacrest returns as host.

I have been wanting Connick Jr as a judge for several seasons, since Simon Cowell left. He has a good sense of humor, he knows what he is talking about, and he has the ability to be a straight shooter. Let's hope his great mentoring over the years will carry over to the judge's table.

I am not thrilled about the return of Jennifer Lopez, but we know it could be worse. I hope that she is more critical and real this time around. I do feel her last season with the show was better than her first, let's just hope that she doesn't start all over again. If she starts commenting on 'how beautiful' the contestants looks I might need to mute my TV.

I really didn't mind Keith Urban last season. I do feel at times he got a little repetitive and wasn't as critical as I would have liked, but he was a good choice to remain at the judge's table.

So there ya have it. We will be updating this page when there is any more noteworthy news. So see you soon.